Prior to the present invention, as set forth in general terms above and more specifically below, it is known that in a typical hospital setting, the current practice of securing an orogastric feeding tube (OGT) to an endotracheal tube (ETT) is accomplished by the use of medical grade adhesive tape which is also referred to as surgical tape. The major disadvantage of utilizing surgical tape is that it does not provide a definitive trust worthy method of securing the OGT to the ETT. This is because the surgical tape overtime becomes saturated with humidity and oral secretions, thereby causing the degradation of the adhesive integrity in the surgical tape. Consequently, this allows for the possibility of OGT dislodgement which can cause aspiration of gastric contents as well as tube feedings, if being infused, into the lungs.
Another disadvantage of the surgical tape is that is very difficult to remove once it has been applied around the OGT and the ETT. If the ETT needs to be pulled back or inserted further, the surgical tape makes this process more challenging since it cannot be removed in a quick and safe manner. In fact, there have been instances in which the surgical tape has been so hard to get off that healthcare workers have used scissors to cut the tape and in the process of doing so cut through the ETT.
The final disadvantage of utilizing surgical tape is that the surgical tape may accumulate various types of bacteria overtime making the surgical tape a potential risk factor for the development of ventilator associated pneumonia. Furthermore, the surgical tape does not allow healthcare workers the ability to properly clean the surgical tape nor does the surgical tape allow health care workers to properly clean underneath the ETT.
It is also known, to employ various types of clips and clamps to attach various surgical tubes to one another. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,206 by Crosbie, U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,421 by Noureldin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,525 by Margo, U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,540 by Klepper, U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,363 by Gadberry et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,847 by Totz, U.S. Pat. No. 8,099,837 by Santin et al., RE39,508 by Parker, U.S. Patent Application 2002/0162555 by West et al., and U.S. Patent Application 2009/0229615 by Stenzler et al. While these various clips and clamps that are used to attach various surgical tubes to one another may have been generally satisfactory, there is nevertheless a need for a new and improved disposable stabilization clip/clamp device used for the securing of an orogastric feeding tube (OGT) to an endotracheal tube (ETT).
It is a purpose of this invention to fulfill these and other needs in the art of securing an orogastric feeding tube (OGT) to an endotracheal tube (ETT) in a manner more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the following disclosure.